Palo Alto Networks™, the network security company, today announced successful deployment of its next-generation firewall at Mill Hill School. With unprecedented visibility and control of downloading activity, the school can now embrace a wider range of web applications while staying protected against associated network security threats.
Information Technology makes up a significant part of the curriculum at Mill Hill School, an exceptional, co-educational independent school in London. The school also has a duty to encourage the use of a broad range of web applications, some of which have become an integral part of its students’ lives. However, it is also critical that students do not expose themselves or the network to security threats such as malware, viruses and inappropriate content.
“With 1,000 users, including day-pupils and boarders, it became clear to us that we needed a way of gaining greater visibility of what was being accessed as well as greater control over the specific applications that our pupils were using,” comments Adam Banks, Network Manager at Mill Hill School. “It was also important that we had a complete all-in-one solution that was easy-to-use and manage.”
Following advice from IT services and security integration specialists Synetix Solutions, Mill Hill decided to deploy Palo Alto Networks’ PA-500 Series firewalls. Palo Alto Networks technology enables organizations to accurately identify and control applications by user, scan content to stop threats, and prevent data leakage – all with a single network device. These next-generation firewalls enable educational institutions and businesses alike to create granular, mission-relevant security policies and safely control applications, instead of the block-or-nothing approach offered by traditional port-blocking firewalls.
Rick Gray Sales Director at Synetix Solutions commented: “Mill Hill has just solved one of the most critical IT issues facing the education sector - how to protect students and networks from the plethora of security risks inherent with unmanaged downloading?”
The Palo Alto Networks PA-500 Series firewalls provided Mill Hill School with complete visibility and policy control of over 1,300 applications running on enterprise networks – in a single package. Palo Alto Networks patent-pending App-ID™ technology accurately identifies applications regardless of port, protocol, evasive tactic or even SSL encryption, all at up to 20Gbps with no performance degradation.
“We’re not just talking about blocking ports here - Mill Hill got full control down to the application level and content scanning to stop threats for a fully locked-down network,” continues Rick Gray at Synetix Solutions.
“I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Palo Alto Networks to other schools – it has given us excellent visibility and is very easy to use,” comments Adam Banks, Network Manager at Mill Hill School. “We can now provide a highly accommodative service to our pupils, safe in the knowledge that we’re not exposed to any security threats.”
“We have had tremendous success in the education sector precisely because we enable organizations to effectively balance the need for both access and security,” said Rene Bonvanie, vice president of worldwide marketing at Palo Alto Networks. “Unlike legacy security technologies, our next-generation firewalls are unique in their ability to see and control applications, users and content – not just ports, IP addresses and packets.”
About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks™ is the network security company. Its next-generation firewalls enable unprecedented visibility and granular policy control of applications and content – by user, not just IP address – at up to 20Gbps with no performance degradation. Based on patent-pending App-ID™ technology, Palo Alto Networks firewalls accurately identify and control applications – regardless of port, protocol, evasive tactic or SSL encryption – and scan content to stop threats and prevent data leakage. Enterprises can for the first time embrace Web 2.0 and maintain complete visibility and control, while significantly reducing total cost of ownership through device consolidation. Most recently, Palo Alto Networks has enabled enterprises to extend this same network security to remote users with the release of GlobalProtect™ and to combat targeted malware with its WildFire® service. For more information, visitwww.paloaltonetworks.com.
Palo Alto Networks, "The Network Security Company," the Palo Alto Networks Logo and App-ID are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
About Mill Hill School
The Mill Hill School Foundation aims to provide excellence in education, offering education to boys and girls aged between 3 and 18 in its three schools. The main school was set up in 1807 by a committee of non-conformist merchants and ministers. They decided to place their school outside of London because of the "dangers both physical and moral, awaiting youth while passing through the streets of a large, crowded and corrupt city". Their foresight has provided generations of Millhillians with quite unique surroundings, peaceful, secure and rural and yet within minutes of links to Central London.
Initially a boys only school, Mill Hill School welcomed girls into the Sixth Form in 1975 and went fully co-educational in 1997. From September 2012, lessons will no longer be timetabled on Saturday mornings, so allowing weekly boarding alongside the traditional full boarding offer.
School website: www.millhill.org.uk
